Effective Software Project Management

The Adaptive SDPM Strategy

This is the first approach you encounter where the solution is not known. It might be totally unknown or partially unknown. Unlike the Iterative approach where some depth of the solution is not known (features, for example), the adaptive approach is missing both depth and breadth of the solution. Figure 24-1 depicts the Adaptive SDPM strategy for those models that meet the conditions of an incomplete solution due to missing features and functions.

Figure 24-1. Adaptive SDPM strategy

The models that lie between the iterative and extreme models are called adaptive models. The two that you will study here are the Adaptive Project Framework (APF) and the Adaptive Software Development (ASD) models. In both models the goal is clearly defined but the solution to reach that goal is not. These are processes that thrive on learning, discovery, and change. In APF you start from the known and journey into the unknown. In time, and with enough cycles, you hope that a solution will emerge. ASD is a more formal process focusing strictly on software development. In that sense APF is a more robust model.

The Adaptive SDPM strategy, like other adaptive approaches, is best suited to projects whose solution is only partially known. The degree to which the solution is known might vary over a wide range from knowing a lot but not all to knowing very little. The less that ...